Dynamic Brain Responses to Semantic Incongruencies in the Visually Presented Language Streams

摘要

Semantically inappropriate words embedded in a sentence elicits an event related potential (ERP) component called the N400 at latencies around 400 ms after the stimulus onset. In the present study, neuromagnetic measurements were used to investigate dynamic brain responses to semantic incongruencies in visually-presented language streams. Neural activities specific to the presentation of incongruent words in the language streams were observed in the left superior temporal, the parieto-temporal, and the inferior frontal/prefrontal regions, indicating the contribution of multiple information processing, including phonological and semantic language processing and working memory processes, in the generation of the N400 event-related component. The current results indicate that the working memory as well as the language-specific processes was involved in the generation of the N400 component.